[Morphological changes following arterial catheter embolisation of the kidney (author's transl)]

Arterial catheter embolisation of the kidney is used as a form of treatment for uncontrollable haematuria due to inoperable tumours of the kidney or bladder; it can also be used as a preoperative measure for operable renal tumours in order to make surgery easier. Time-related morphological examinations are not yet available in the literature. The histological changes in the tumour-containing kidney are described in four patients at two, six, twelve and thirteen days after Histo-acryl embolisation. After embolisation there are wedge-shaped anaemic infarcts and extensive necrosis in tumour and normal kidney with leukocytic demarkation and reabsorption of cellular inflammatory material. Complete necrosis of the tumour was not found. There is therefore not complete destruction of the tumour as a result of arterial catheter embolisation, even when the veins are thrombosed by tumour.